It is a pleasure to serve this distinguished group. I am honored to share in this step toward fulfillment of the goals described by Judge Macdonald in his Message from the Chair.

As Editor of this new Newsletter from the ASIL's Special Interest Group on the UN Decade of International Law, I welcome the challenge of collating the contributions and opinions of our members, as well as Society members who are also able to contribute. I am a faculty member at Western State University's San Diego Campus. I am pleased to work with Judge Macdonald, Dr. Charlotte Ku, and others who share the objective of reporting the pertinent international activities affecting all of us during the remainder of this special UN Decade of International Law. Judge Macdonald currently sits on the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and is Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. Dr. Ku is the administrative head of the ASIL at Tillar House in Washington, DC.

This initial issue of your Newsletter provides fundamental information regarding two key documents. The first is the United Nations Resolution on the UN Decade of International Law (reprinted in full). It sowed the seeds for implementing the blueprint for developing more concrete evidence of International Law on a global basis. The other key document is the Report of the United States Department of State to the United Nations (summarized). It highlights the US contributions to this worldwide endeavor, which will undoubtedly strengthen the observance of international law.

I would particularly like to thank Dr. John Gamble (Penn State) for information he has provided regarding his study of international law in the US and Canada; UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali for his message regarding our work; and Professor Sohn (George Washington National Law Center) who herein comments on the work of the US National Committee for the UN Decade. I have just received a package of information from Carolyn Wilson, Deputy Legal Adviser to the US Mission to the UN. It contains copies of various national replies to the UN's call for national input regarding the UN Decade. That information will be summarized in a future issue of this Newsletter. I will attempt to provide a brief bibliography in each issue of this Newsletter. That will help us keep track of all the efforts associated with the work of our Special Interest Group, and groups in other nations that share the objectives of the UN Decade. In this issue of the Newsletter, that feature is designated the "Readers' Corner."

Your input will be essential to achieving the objectives of this group within the ASIL, the Society, and the UN. Please contact Judge Macdonald or me regarding any editorial or other newsworthy information on this important work of the Society. Like the UN, the strength of this particular group depends on the aspirations of the membership of the ASIL.


William R. Slomanson
Editor.

Statement of the Secretary-General for the Newsletter of the American Society of International Law on the United Nations Decade of International Law

The end of the cold war era and the developments which have occurred in the aftermath, have dramatically underlined the increasing importance of the rule of law in international relations. The need to reaffirm the link which exists between world peace and international law and to develop that law to meet the challenges of the present day situation was behind the proclamation, by the General Assembly of the United Nations, of the period 1990-1999 as the United Nations Decade of International Law. Four main purposes were to be achieved by the Decade, namely: the promotion of the acceptance of and respect for the principles of international law; the promotion of means and methods for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States, including resort to and full respect for the International Court of Justice; the encouragement of the progressive development of international law and its codification; and the encouragement of the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law.

The activities which are being carried out in the progressive development of international law and its codification in various fields remind us international law is a branch of law in constant evolution. Thus, there is a continuous need to increase awareness of the content of its rules, not only among government officials, but also among members of the public at large. The need for increasing such awareness is pressing particularly in certain areas, such as human rights, environment and development, drug-abuse control and peaceful settlement of disputes to mention a few.

The program of activities which was adopted by the General Assembly for the first term of the Decade clearly took that into account by involving not only States, but also international organizations, regional organizations, non-governmental organizations, national societies of international law, universities and other educational institutions. It is only such a common effort in the promotion of respect for international law that will result in its being given the prominence it deserves in international relations.

I would therefore like to congratulate the American Society of International Law for the initiative it has taken to publish this Newsletter as a means of disseminating information on activities undertaken throughout the world within the framework of the Decade of International Law.

[You are encouraged to write a letter to the Editor, as done by Professor Sohn. This will assist in updating members about the positive steps being taken toward implementing the UN Decade of International Law.]

As the incoming chair of the Section of International Law and Practice of the American Bar Association I have asked all committees of the Section to keep in mind the existence of the UN Decade of International Law, and that they should make arrangements for preparing some meetings and reports that would bring the Decade to the attention of the members of the Section. In that spirit I prepared also a Foreword to the next issue of The American Lawyer which calls attention to the fact that international law is no longer a sole preserve of diplomats and statesmen, but deals with rights and duties of individuals and corporations. I also noted the increase in the number of cases in domestic courts that involve issues of international law, and that several cases each year even reach the Supreme Court of the United States. Finally, I pointed out the existence of an increasing number of international treaties which facilitate international trade by promulgating uniform laws which become part of domestic law of countries ratifying a treaty containing such law. Thus differences between different legal systems are bridged and important barriers to international law are removed. This is, of course, only one example of the impact of international law on United States law. It might be of interest to readers of your Newsletter, and I hope they will contribute additional instances of the day-to-day importance of international law.

Sincerely yours,

Louis B. Sohn
Distinguished Research Professor of Law
George Washington University
National Law Center